From DIE ONCE MORE, chapter 2

“With effort, Faust manages to pry his eyes away from her and hands me a leather belt with a holster on each side. ‘Two weapons?’ I ask.

He nods as I strap it around my waist. ‘Short-sword,’ he says, handing me the blade. I inspect it before slipping it into my belt: It’s brand-new, unlike the antique models we use in France, but well made. ‘And a Glock,’ he says, handing me a pistol.

I look up at him in surprise.

‘It’s enough, trust me. You don’t really need an automatic,’ he explains, misunderstanding my expression. ‘We never come up against more than a few numa at a time. And even that’s pretty rare, unless we’re zombie hunting. Today’s just a regular walk around the block.’

I glance at ‘Whitefoot.’ She’s amused by my confusion. ‘Like it or not, guns are the American way. Shoot to the head to stun, then use your blade,’ she clarifies.

That’s the way Lucien cut down Gaspard to get into La Maison, I remember. Gunshot to the head, then—while the projectile worked its way back out of Gaspard’s bullet-rejecting flesh—decapitation by sword. American way, huh? I wonder if Lucien made any trips to the States before meeting his end at the tip of Kate’s blade.”

DIE ONCE MORE releases February 3. You can get it here: (Amazon/B&N).